Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> May 2, 2011
Matthew J. Espe was appointed CEO of Armstrong World Industries, Inc., in July 2010. He brings 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, distribution and management in global manufacturing businesses to Armstrong from his previous position at Ricoh Americas Corp., a subsidiary of Ricoh Company, Ltd., where he served as Chairman and CEO. Prior to that role, Mr. Espe was Chairman and CEO of IKON Office Solutions, Inc., a $4 billion office equipment distributor and services provider with 24,000 employees. The company was acquired by Ricoh in 2008. Before joining IKON in 2002, Mr. Espe was President and CEO of GE Lighting. In a career that spanned 22 years there, he managed multiple functional areas, including sales, marketing, distribution and manufacturing, as well as management within several business units. Mr. Espe graduated from the University of Idaho and earned an MBA from Whittier College. Profile
TWST: Please tell us the history of Armstrong World Industries and how it has evolved from its founding to today.
Mr. Espe: We just celebrated our 150th anniversary. We had a campus-wide celebration
